William Frey, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program, has studied data showing COVID-19’s spread through the U.S. during the past 12 months. The analysis includes several maps depicting a month-by-month look at COVID’s spread across the country as well as a look at how the virus affected rural counties versus urban ones and blue versus red counties. “The statistics show that the COVID-19 pandemic — with its unanticipated twists and turns — cannot be underestimated,” writes Frey. “Summer spikes in the South, autumn spikes in small-town America, and the more recent re-emergence in large metro areas all suggest that more surprises may be on the way. … A close look at the numbers from last year sends the strong message that continued caution and adherence to health expert guidelines are still very much in order.”